The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-08-01
PULPIT AND PLATFORM.
FIRST PARISH CHURCH.

Yesterday the First Parish church, not
withstanding the hot weather, and the fact
at this season so many of our citizens are alb
sent in the country and by the seaside, was
filed by two large congregations at the morn
ing and evening services, to hear the soce-'
ty's.old pastor Rev. DR.. Horatio Stebbens of
San Francisco.
At the morning service DIR. Stebbins took
for his text Galatians 2. 10. 'For through
law am dead to law, that might live unto
God" The speaker began by saying that it
is the destiny Of genius to be misunderstood.
The Pharisees thought Jesus was law
breaker, and that his teaching, and conduct
tended to encourage laxity of life Paul
Jared no better, and If any man of the Jul
daic type Of Christian had stood by when
Paul uttered these words he would have de-
clared that the Apostle was areckless person.
free-and-easy, go-as-you-please, don't care.
How comes this misunderstanding between
genius and the commonplace mind? There
has always been, and there always will be. a
deep abiding consciousness that the highest
spiritual life is not simply according to law,
and that communion with God is not by rule,
nor duty fixed fact and measurable guam
tity. As there is an unloyalness in all genius,
so there is an unloyalness in the mind that
truth has made free. 1t becomes dead to law
that it may live unto God. The soul that has
an Astounding and pure spirited life has in it
self one inspiring law, the power to live, not
unto,law, but unto God. The child that has
been trained by rules of duty and virtuous
habits, f0rgets the rules,as rules, and the hab-
its when his love moves in happy rhythm with
his fathers heart. 1t is not to be wondered
at that so profound truth of Christian con-
seriousness and spiritual life should find ex.
preston in grotesque fanatical ways from
misconception. The Anabaptists of the 10th
century, many of the Puritans and Scotch
Covenanters, and later the Free Lovers and
Salvation Army, are instances Of this hate
full and loathsome fanaticism. Past all fan
atheism is the insanity of truth when tramp
led on by the possess0rs 1t goes mad.
But there is high unlegalism Of moral
and spiritual life, life towards God rather
than towards law, and when Paul exclaimed
in the white heat of unconscious spiritual
genius ''for / through law am dead to law
that l might live unto God" he uttered a
profound and radiant truth that vibrates
through all moral worlds. He showed that
toward God. Jesus not only thought, but
taught that his doctrine and duty overlapped
law; that his life had larger orbit We
see the same thing in our own experiences,
anu III sttlllS pain tuaL III was IOr Wlat the
law could not do that God sent his Son.
1t seems clear that mans noblest and
grandest capacities are constantly rebelling
against mere legalism. 1t is by looking for
ward, not back, that we make progress. God is
ever eve renewing the world notify repeating it.
many are apt to think the books are all writ
ten and inspiration concluded. This is not
true. Progress moves forward to new ideals
and leaves the old ones as sign posts in the
Ana III. ~
thought unlegal by their contemporaries. All
real genius, whether religious or not, is more
or less unlegal. 1t cannot always be think
ing about how it looks. 1t will unconscious
ly violate rules, just as great poets or great
musicians must say and do some things In
their own way. 1t was complained of Presi-
dent Lincoln that he sometimes went to his
own door, when President, to let people in.
He was called unrefined, backwoodsy. Well,
let it be so. That was genius dead to social
law.
The people of this nation will never forget,
history will never fail to record the name of
that hero, fanatic, felon, John Brown, of
Ossowantomie. He was put to death ac-
cording to law. But there was. a feeling that
transcribed law, that 1t might live to high
or ideal, In November, before his death, a
man of moral insight, a prophet of the .sopi.s
voiced the heart of the world in~ss poem of
divine foresight:
But not the snc.. SIX feet by two,
JOIN Brown will tramp the shaking earth.
1rr<From Blue Ridge to the sea,
Till the strong angel comes at last,
And ope's each dungeon door,
And Gods great charter holds and waves,
Ger all the humble poor.
Two years after this army hymn was writ
ten whose echoes rolled from sea to sea, and
whose choral refrain was a fulfillment of
this poetic prophecy:
"John Browns body lies Wondering in the>gfave.
But his soul goes marching on"
1t is probable no hymn was ever sung by
an army that embodied SO much of the heart
OF nation, which. Gshered on like some i'm
petuous swnliien river, oyerfiowing its APP
feeling in distinction from the gloire of the
French Mdrseltdise, or the religious fanatf-
cism of Corvallis Ironsides 1t was as if
amidst this binding mist of ignorance and
fear, mans affections deserted the far-gleam-
ing tower OF the City of God and the shin
ing gates of divine humanity. And it was
an eternal proclamation that the heavenly
bodies do not reyolve according to the con-
stitution of the United States
Who would live or die for a mere legalism,
ritual, a rule, a law? Thirty-nine articles,
or ram a year old for burnt offering? or
any wisdom of political economy or law that
puts a sheep, a housewife and a cooking
stove in the same category Of profit and loss
to the world. Our Heavenly Fathers house
is not managed in that way. God is not
afraid of being charged with legalism. He
sends his rain on the just as well as the I'M
just, and the Good Shepherd leaves the nine
ty and nine and goes out to seek the one lost
sheep until he finds it.
ST. LuKE's.
Rt. Rev. Bishop Burgess of Illinois offciat-
ed at st. Luke's Cathedral yesterday, and
large ongregation was in attendance includ-
ing some of the Doctors former friends in
this city. Rev. Canon Stills read a portion of
the service, while the declaration of absolu
ton, :the Scripture selections and the COM
munion services were read by the Bishop.
The sermon was also preached by him upon
'the valley of decision" from the words of
the prophet Joel, and an earnest, interesting
and very forcible one it was.
We do not attempt to give report of this
excellent discourse, but are only able to say
that tine practical applications of the text
to which most of his effort was directed land
without any notes. were truthful, just and
acceptable. He said that if he should be
deemed too earnest, that his thought was
that when he leftSt. Luke's church twenty
years ago, he felt that perhaps he had not
been earnest enough to arouse all to seek the
salvation of their immortal souls, and he
would make one more appeal to any such.